[10] It is predicted that a 2000-watt society will require a complete reinvestment in the country's capital assets, refurbishment of the nation's building stock to meet low-energy building standards, significant improvements in the efficiency of road transport, aviation and energy-intensive material use, the possible introduction of high-speed maglev trains, the use of renewable energy sources, district heating, microgeneration and related technologies, as well as a refocusing of research into new priority areas.
However, to meet the 2,000-watt society goals by 2050 to 2100, the FOE acknowledges the necessity for more decisive measures, noting the progress is on the right path but could be accelerated.
[2] The Swiss Federal Office of Energy stipulates that the 2000-watt sites label is awarded to residential developments demonstrating sustainable practices in construction, operation, renovation, and mobility.
[12] The 2016 Zurich 2000-Watt Society roadmap documents a reduction in per capita energy consumption to 4,200 watts and CO2 emissions to 4.7 tonnes.
Within the pilot region, the projects in progress include demonstration buildings constructed to MINERGIE or Passivhaus standards, electricity generation from renewable energy sources, and vehicles using natural gas, hydrogen and biogas.
The aim is to put research into practice, seek continuous improvements, and to communicate progress to all interested parties, including the public.
In this multiple-use context, the building will become an experimental field of studies in itself and aims to find solutions to energy consumption and the greenhouse gas emissions that it generates.
This construction is the group's first case study, and research projects have been established to help it meet the lab's ambitious goals: limiting its consumption and emissions to the values set for 2050 by the 2000-watt society vision, while considering the whole life cycle of its components.